Saturday I battled 40 degrees and 20 mph winds. Fast forward to today and I enjoyed 82 degrees but suffered 17 mph wind (31 mph gusts) as I rolled out on my ride at 2:07 PM. Partly cloudy skies with the SSW wind meant I could dress a lot lighter than Saturday but I was cautious wearing a short sleeve and long sleeve jersey just in case the wind coming off of Lake Houston was chilly; it was and I am glad I compensated.
Riding to the south and east put me in position to ride into the wind at the start of the ride complying with my ride guidelines. This meant the first 10 miles was into the wind but after I turned to the east heading toward Lake Houston the wind became my friend. Riding on the east side of Lake Houston generally was not affected by the wind but when I left the Huffman Chevron station I rode straight into the wind. Going over Lake Houston I could feel the chill in the wind from the cooler water temperature. The wind slowed me down to 10.2 mph at one when I glanced at my Garmin Edge. On the west side of the lake I made a right and again the wind became my friend as I rode to home. By the time I got home at 4:45 the wind slowed down to 16 mph, 26 mph gusts and 78 degrees. Today’s ride went 33.70 miles. I almost made it to 100 miles for March at 99.7 miles. Year to date stands at 781.28 miles. Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com data.
Tomorrow it is supposed to get up to 70 under partly cloudy skies.
I wonder if it Sucks to Live with a Cyclist?
By Claire         bicyclesoutbackracing.net
I will start by saying that I have a pretty awesome roommate. His name is Nick. He might say that I am a psycho (depending on what part of the month it is), but overall, I think we enjoy living together.
First, he gets to put up with the massive amount of bicycles and associated parts that accumulate inside an apartment. There is nothing like walking out of your bedroom in the…
Second Class Citizens
rgvcycling.com
I was out riding after work going through a pyramid interval workout and I was rumbling through a conversation that I had with a co-worker before I got off work. It was then I realized that I now fully understand what she was talking about. Anyone that rides a bike, for what ever reason, is a 2nd class citizen.
Here is how I came to that conclusion from our conversation. It was about 15 minutes before the end of the work day and this being Friday I was ready to go, but I sat down and started a conversation with a co-worker friend with the intent to kill time. One thing lead to…
TRAILS SOUTH OF AUSTIN
Purgatory Creek – San Marcos
AustinBike.com
Purgatory Creek is one of those places that is great to ride if you are passing through, but probably won’t make a worthwhile destination if you were heading a long distance just to ride it. Heading down is pretty straightforward as the trail is less than a mile from I-35 and if you want to do a couple of laps, there is a lot of fun to be had.
Some sections are smooth single track, but there is a lot of rocky trail along with some rocky climbs and descents; think of it as cheesegrater with some elevation. However, elevation is not the reason to ride the trails. Part of…
TRAILS SOUTH OF AUSTIN
Prospect Park – San Marcos
AustinBike.com
If you are going to ride Purgatory Creek – San Marcos then you have to ride Prospect park, which is technically another trail, but is actully interconnected. It is shorter than Purgatory but it adds some total mileage to the ride. The trials are obviously close to Purgatory in their makeup, but a little more tame, less
Carbon fiber is an interesting material in that so many people want a bike made of the stuff, yet most people haven’t a clue as to how a carbon bike is actually made.
It’s both odd and and yet completely sensible–carbon fiber frames (when carefully constructed) offer tremendous weight, strength and stiffness advantages and yet no material is so shrouded in mystery: consumers really…
If you are looking for true mountain biking in Texas, check out Franklin Mountains State Park right in the heart of El Paso. From easy going jeep roads to technical and steep single track, this amazing park has something for any type of mountain biker. Get details on biking trails across Texas state parks at…
Weekly Road Bike Ride-Medium/Fast Paced
Houston Cycling Club
Wednesday, March 6, 2013Â Â Â 6:30 PM
Terry Hershey Park
15200 Memorial Dr, Houston, TX (map)
Look for silver Nissan Titan . Robert Hopper [masked]
This is a weekly road bike ride. The total distance will be between 20-23 miles. The ride is a straight shot to Katy’s Fry Rd on a well paved path. No need to worry about red lights or traffic because there aren’t any. The pace will be 18 + mph.
Don’t like pulling? No problem, just draft and enjoy the ride! …
El Paso Bicycle Club
Wednesday Night Ride
Wednesday, March 27Â Â Â Â Â Â 5:30PM
Description: Â Â Â These are leaderless rides of 18-22 miles, with most riders beginning about 5:30 p.m. (some earlier, some later depending on preference and pace) leaving from Rio Plaza, 6205 Upper Valley Rd (at Artcraft). The most popular route is a 20-mile loop to Gadsden H.S. Optional dinner afterward at Hello Pizza, 1071 Country Club (River Run Plaza).
Republic Of Texas Bike Tour And Tour Of 1838 Michel B. Menard House
galvestonhistory.org
Galveston Historical Foundation invites you to grease the chains and fill the tires of your favorite bike as you explore local sites associated with the Texas Revolution on GHF’s “Republic of Texas†bike tour.
The bike tour, held March 9th, costs $15 and begins at the 1838 Michel B. Menard House at 1605 33rd Street at 10 a.m. The tour will conclude at noon where the Menard…
Trail work n’ Ride at Reveille Peak Ranch Sat. March 9 and also during the week.
by Il Pirate      Austin Ridge Riders
Rec’d this information from Jon at RPR today. ARR will also be hosting the monthly club ride on Saturday so if you aren’t a group ride kind of person come out early to work, ride and socialize with us after!
Reveille Peak Ranch Trail Work
Saturday March 9 at 9:00 am.
Bring rake or lopers.
Lunch and a free RPR t-shirt will be provided.
Or one can work anytime Saturday or during the week. And ride after. …
Cyclists in Suits – Bus from D/FW March 25
by jril         Bike Forums
For DFW cyclists who want to attend Cyclists in Suits in Austin on March 25 and meet with lawmakers to discuss issues that impact cycling, there will be a bus leaving from Ft. Worth and another one from Richardson. For $30 per person, you get a round trip ride on the luxury coach bus, plus breakfast and coffee.
“Every two years in Texas, we get a unique opportunity to talk about cycling with people who can make a…
2013 Mellow Johnny’s Classic results
by VeloNews.com
Men
1. Daniel McConnell, Trek Factory Racing, 1:30:24
2. Jeremiah Bishop, Sho-Air-Cannondale, 1:30:26
3. Todd Wells, Specialized Racing, 1:30:57
4. Derek Zandstra, Scott-3 Rox Racing, 1:31:11
5. Cameron Jette, 01:34:06
6. Sam Schultz, Trek Factory Racing, 1:34:28
7. Ryan Woodall, Top Gear Bicycles, 1:34:49
8. Zackary Valdez, Whole Athlete-Specialized, 1:35:21 …
Pedal Thru The Pines – March 9th
Austin Cycling Association
Next weekend is a great ride that goes through Bastrop and Buescher State Parks. Pedal Thru The Pines benefits the Family Crisis Center in Bastrop. Riders this year will get to see how the pine forest is starting to come back from the devastating fires in Bastrop. You can choose your route: 17 miles, 27 miles, 47 miles, or 62 miles.
There are well stocked rest stops, friendly volunteers and a top notch…
Richardson City Council Awards Bid for Central Trail Construction
by dickdavid      Bike Friendly Richardson
The City Council on Monday awarded a bid of $3.4 million to Ed Bell Construction Company to extend the Central Trail 1.9 miles from the Arapaho Road DART Station to the southern city limit. Construction of the 10-foot wide concrete multiuse trail is expected to begin in April and last for about one year.
The $4 million project is funded through Dallas County and the City of Richardson’s 2010 Bond Program. The lowest bid to construct the trail came in about $400,000 over budget, so the City removed some amenities such as irrigation systems, landscaping, and benches to be…
Scott & White Community Cycling Club
Weekly Ride Schedule
Tuesdays
6 p.m. – Lions Park, Temple
Thursdays
6 p.m. – Lions Park, Temple
Saturdays
7 a.m. – Lions Park, Temple…
Just call me crazy! I preregistered for the Gator Ride gambling on the weather being nice. I lost the gamble. When I got to Lee College in Baytown at 7:45 AM I checked the weather on my phone. The Weather Channel app showed 39 deg. with a 17 mph NNW wind making the wind chill 31 deg. At that point I thought I would go collect my T-shirt, sit in the Jeep for a while and then drive home. But I walked over to the starting area to pickup my number and other stuff and I saw a number of people milling around for the 43 mile start at 8:30. Looking at how some of them were dressed I said to myself if they can dress like that and ride why can’t I ride with my wardrobe of leg warmers, shorts, 3 long sleeve jerseys, windbreaker jacket and full finger gloves?
This photo gallery is from the start line area before I went back to the Jeep.
So I walked back to my Jeep and waited until 8:15 to see if the temperature would go up any and the wind go down any. I watched the people in the parking lot get ready. The lady to right of me took off her jacket and put on the Gator Ride T-shirt over the other shirts she had on and then put her jacket back on. The Chevrolet Volt to my left had two riders who were dressed a lot lighter than I was and they rode off the to the start line about 8:05. I checked my phone again and the temperature moved up to 40 but the wind was still at 17 mph. I decided I would try to ride and got my bike out of the Jeep and rode to the start line. Just as I arrived the ride officials were saying a few words and then told the riders to start. It didn’t take long to realize the wind chill was going to be brutal as we headed to the Fred Hartman Bridge. As I approached the bridge the wind was cutting through my clothes and especially my gloves. Riding around my route at home yesterday was no match for riding up the bridge and being exposed to the full affect on top of a bridge. After we got off the bridge the route turned to the north and the wind was challenging forward progress.
One of my concerns was the wait for the Lynchburg ferry. With this brutal wind all I needed to do was stand around for half an hour, cooling down and then start riding again. Well the 43 mile riders started an hour later than the 62 mile riders so by the time we got to the ferry the crowd was gone. The wait lasted about 10 minutes while the ferry returned from the other side. Once we got the north side ferry landing the wind seemed to intensify. I knew the route turned east in Highlands which was not too far away but the slow pedaling took a while to get to that turn.
Turning right onto Battlebell Road in Highlands brought a sigh of relief as the wind now came from my left. I finally was able to ride faster and with the sun now hitting my front side some I thawed a little. Now the route would generally go east and then south so the wind would be somewhat of an ally until about 3 miles to go in Baytown. I stopped at rest stop 2 and rest stop 4 to get some rest from the wind but I could stop too long for fear of cooling down  too much. After rest stop 4 I did not stop again until the end. I reached the finish line at 11:56 and it was none too soon! I sat on a curb to eat my Firehouse Sub, chips, cookies and Diet Coke. The wind did not let up even then.
After eating I rode back to the Jeep, loaded up my bike and got our of my wet jerseys. I drove back to the starting area to change into dry shorts for the drive back home.
Overall I am amazed that I decided to ride with the temperature so low and the wind so high. Normally I do not ride when it is below 60 but the crowd (probably 100 or so) at the start line provided an incentive to ride. May next year it will be 40 degrees higher.
